Improvement in corn-planters



italia Yiaiai Letters Patent No. 111,774, ama February 14, 1871.

The Schedule referred to in theseLetters Iatent and-making 'part of the lame.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OHN MORSE PARSONS, of Charles City,in the county of Floyd and State ofIowa, have invented a new and usell Improvement in Corn- Planters; and Ido hereby declare that the following is a'full, clear, and exact description thereof', which will enable others-skilled in the art to make land use the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying draw ing forming part of this specieatiou.

l Figure 1 is a side view of my improved corn-planter, partly in section, to show the. construction'.

Figure 2 is atop view of' the same, parts being broken away to show the construction.

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view oi' the same, illustra-ting the-spacing device.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view ofoue of the feeddrums.

vgether.

Stamping-plates I are attached to theouter end of bars C, for the purpose ot' marking th-e ground about each hill, and'to hold the dischargers which pass through them securelyiu place.

Thel dischargers J are secured to the arms or bars .C by projections formed upon them, which enter mortises in said' arms, and the wedges c', `which lenter openings in the plates I. j i

The ends of the dischargers J are closedby hinged plates K, held closed hy plate-springs L.

M M are pluugers, which enter the dischargers J, and each one is connected with that on the opposite end ofthe barv C by a.rod, N, which passes through the journals D.

The rods N are secured to the plungers by screwnuts.

Veights O, slotted to allow the journals ,to pass through, are arranged to 'slide ou rods N, and thus, at the proper time, to drive the plunger-s M (following the seed from the dischargers) into the ground.

Small projections areformed onthe weights, which work in grooves iu bars O.

This-relieves the rods'N of a portion of the strain ou them To regulate the drop of the weights O, I employ projections e' thereon, in connection with curved bars P, which may be adj usted by means of bolts in slots loi' the arms H, to give the weights greater or lesser throw.

.Each seed-drum Eis provided with four droppers, Q, whose ends, projecting beyond the inside plates of the drum, are weighted,to keep them always the same` side up.

They revolve on tubes S, which project inward from the opposite sideplate of the drum, and are notched on the upper side ot' their recessed ends foin the purpose of containing seed enough to form a hill.

The notches-or holes are kept onl the upper' side as the machine advances, and become filled as the seed#- drums E revolve.

. '1 31 are small springs attached to the side of the drums for striking oi any loose seed, thus leaving the holes in the droppers full cach time.

Conductor-spente U are attached to bars G, and

shown as connecting the dischargers J aud drums E.

These receive the seed of the droppers which falls through the holes iu the tubes S as the drums revolve.-

'In its downward course the seed first reaches and` is stopped b y the partition u-f, and, as the arms O rise, it is passed around u1 to the second partition, u?.

The descent of the arms Ctakes it into the-discharger J, where itis disposed'of', as already'described.

Without these partitions the seed would bere-y quired to. descend from the drum to the discharger while the wheel was making about a quarter .of a revolution, which would not give time enough to get all. the seed into the diseharger before the-descent of the plunger.

I employ a device to mark out the next adjacent prow, the same consisting of a bar, V,pivoted at one end to the rear cross-bar G, and carrying at the 'other a marking-bar, x.

The bar V is supported by hooks W, and is thrown -from one side to the other by a cord '1, which'passes overa pulley, z, swiveled iu post A', and thence extends to the drivers seat.

For smoothing the ground in front of bars C, I'use smoOt-'hers B', pivoted to rods C', which connect the bars D,.whose forward ends are pivoted to side bars Gr of the frame.

.horizontal play.

A cord, F', is provided to raise the smoothers-from `the ground, 'and is suitablyarrauged to pass over pulleys Gr',- aud connected with a hand-lever, H', (fig. 3.) It is found inV practice that, -owing to the unevennessof the ground, anda slight slipping of the wheels upon their journals as the machine isdrawn back and forth across the eld, the transverse rows will get out of line unless the planter be provided with some device for straightening thesaid Yrows by lengthening or shortening' the spaces occasionally, as may be necessary, to plant the hills in accurate check-row.

iThis object is eiected in the following manner:

To one of the wheels A is4 attached'an internally toothed gear-wheel, I', into the teeth o f which mesh the teeth or-cogs ofthe gear-wheel J attached to the vouter end'of.th`e shaft K'.

rlvhe middle part of the shaft K" revolves in bearings in the cross-bar L', the ends of which are pivoted tosupports attached to the brace-bar M', the 'ends of. which are secured to two of the arms C, so that the shaft K' may be tilted to.' throw the wheel J' out of gear with the wheel I'. Y

The inner end of the shaftK'has eight-or more radial arms, N', attached to it, each arm being'prol vided with a spring, O', npo'nits inner side, which springs, whenthey shaft K"isrev'olved in one direc-v tion, catchvupon an inclined"projection,-Pf, formed upon the quadrant Q', the elasticity of saidI springs allowing them to pass the said inclined projection when revolving in the other direction. v

The quadrant Q' is attached to thev radial arms- R',

. attached to the axletreexB, or'to the drum E, or to both, and is n otched upon the middle part of itsconrex side, to receive and form a bearing for the inner part of the shaft E', in such a way that the outer ends ofthe arms N may project-a little vbeyond the quadrant Q', both upon its convex and concave sides..A

The shaft K is held down infthc notch inthe quad- -rant Q' by-a spring, S', one end of winch is secured to the side of the quadrant Q', the other.I end of which passes through a keeper attached to the side 'of the said' quadrant, and the middle'part of which rests ppon the shaft K' with suflicient force to hold the said shaft K' in its bearings, except when pushed out bythe inclined slide 'l".

The inclined slide T' works ,in agroove or recess in the side of the quadrant Q', and is attached to a wire v ring, U,fwhich works in keepers or guides attached to the quadrant Q'and radial arms N 'so that, by operating the said ring, the slide T may be drawn beneath the inner end of the shaftV K', to tilt it and throw the wheel J outof gear with the wheel I'.

V' is a leverpassiug through and. pivoted in -a slot` in a longitudinal cross-bar of the frame-G.

lTo the upper and lower parts of the llever V', at equal distances fromits pivoting point, are pivoted the inner ends of the connecting-rodsW', the outerends of which `are ,pivoted to the inner ends of the slides X', which slide in ways or keepers attached to the cross-bar of the frame G, one of said slides being placed above and the other below the. said cross-bar.

To the'outer ends of the slides X', projecting bveyond the plane ofthe quadrant Q',.and opposite its convex face', are pivoted rollers Y', as shown in figs. 2 and 3.

To the sides of ythe slides X' are attached catches Z', projecting upon the concave side of the said quadrant.

By this constrnctiom'by movingI the upper end of the lever V forward, thel catches Z are brought into such a position to catch upon the spring O' that is resting against the shoulder of the incline I?, and lift it over the said incline, and carry it on` until the next spring v'comes back to. and strikesA against the said shoulder.,

The effect of this is to allow the arms C and their attachments to fall back a little, thus widening the spaces between the hills every time the arms N' are turned by the'catches Z'.

' By moving the upper end of the lever V rearward, theI rollers Y' arel brought into such a position that they'engage an arm, N', upon the convex side` of the quadrant Q', moving said arm in the opposite direction for the distance of one-eighth of a circle.

The effect of this is to carry the arms O forward, thus narrowing the space between the hills every time the roller is brought into contact with an arm, N'.

The gear-wheel J is of such size, andthe arms N of such number that, by said arms N coming in contact with the4 catches Z, o r with the rollers Y, thearms O .shall be set backward or forward about one and a half inch.

The sleeve F and the arm H are one casting, made from one pattern, and cast in the same mold.

Inv operating this machine the Seed-drums E-are partly filled with corn.

Having-thus described my invention,

.I clainras new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The' combination of the arms C, axletrce B, g-ndgeons D, thimbles or sleeves F, and wheels A with eachother, for the purpose of supporting and operating the 'planting device, substantially' as herein shown 'and described.

2. The seed-drums E, seed-droppers Q, weights R, short tubes S, and strikers T, in combination with each other and with the arms O and conductor-spouts U, for the purpose of receiving the seed and transmitting it to the said condnctor-.spouts in quantities to form the hills, snbstantiallyas herein shown and described.

3. The conductor-spouts U u1 il?, constructed substan'tially as herein shown and described, in combina- .tion with the seed-distributer E Q R S T, as set forth.

4. `The dischargers J clappers or plates K, spring L, plnngers M, sliding rods N, sliding weights O, in

combination with each other. and with the conductor spouts U, stampsI, arms C, and gudgeons D, substantially as herein shown and described, for the .purpose of receiving the seed from the conductor-spouts U and introducing it into the ground, as set forth.

5. lhe combination of thearm H and curved stop and guide P with the' thimbles or sleeves F and slid- S', lever V', connecting-rods W', slides X', rollers Y',

and catches Z', in combination with each other and. with the wheels- A, arms C, and operating parts of the planter, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

8. The combination of the incline T' and wire ring U' with the quadrant `Q' and tilting-shaft K of the spacing device, substantiallyl a'sherein shown and described, and for'the purpose set forth.

JOHN MORSE lPARSONS.

Witnesses:

J AMES H. Plronnn, i CHAs. E. Sinnen. 

